A two-day, High-level Conference on Coastal and Maritime Tourism opened yesterday, organized by the Ministry of Tourism, the Greek National Tourism Organization, and the European Commission as part of the Greek EU Presidency (10-11.03). The event is bringing together industry, stakeholders, and policy makers. The conference was followed by an informal Ministerial meeting chaired by Ms Kefalogianni and panel sessions on sustainability and dialogue in the sector, and growth and innovation for the blue economy.

The implementation of the Blue Growth Agenda focusing, among others, on coastal and maritime tourism of EU member-states will play a decisive role in the creation of more jobs in Europe and Greece, Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said yesterday, at the Acropolis Museum. She reiterated that tourism is pivotal in exiting the crisis, and emphasized that tourism corresponds to 10% of Europe's GDP.

Addressing the conference, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs & Fisheries Maria Damanaki said that coastal and maritime tourism is the “backbone” of the coastal economy with roughly 3 million jobs, adding that 4 out of 9 travelers choose these regions for their holidays.

The conference continues today at the Museum of Cycladic Art, when 300 companies come together for business to business sessions on food processing and aquaculture, blue biotechnology, energy, ICT and tourism, as well as a conference on "Intense Οn-line Marketing and New Tools: Challenges and Perspectives."

More information: Conference Agenda

"The Greek position has always been against the cultivation of GMOs, a position that I fully endorse," Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister Yiannis Maniatis outlined yesterday in a letter addressed to Joro Riss, Director of the Greenpeace European Unit.

Maniatis’ letter came as a response to a letter by European head of Greenpeace mentionning that the Greek presidency proposal on GMOs was too close to the original Commission proposal and therefore bore many of its legal and political flaws.

In that regard, Maniatis noted that the"Greek proposal (…) is the only realistic basis for discussion (…) and as things stand today, the authorization procedure does not allow for Member States to opt out from the cultivation of GMOs. Any solution that will give Member States that legal right will be a politically significant step forward towards the directions of banning GMOs at a national level. Although the current proposal is not our ideally preferable option, it is still a significant improvement compared to the existing system." He also invited Greenpeace to add its suggestions to the proposal.

See also: Press Release of the Environment Council (3.03.14)

Energy consumption from renewable energy sources in Greece grew at a faster rate compared with the EU average rate in 2012, according to Eurostat said yesterday.

In a report released on Monday (10.03), the EU’s statistics service said that energy consumption from renewable energy sources grew by 15.1 % in Greece, from 14 % in the EU-28. Greece also recorded the biggest percentage increase in the period 2004-2012, from 7.2 % to 15.1 %, followed by Sweden (38.7 % to 51 %), Denmark (14.5 % to 26%) and Austria (22.7 % to 32.1 %).

Sweden (51 %), Latvia (35.8 %), Finland (34.3 %) and Austria (32.1 %) recorded the highest energy consumption from renewable energy sources rates, while Malta (1.4 %), Luxembourg (3.1 %), the UK (4.2 %) and Holland (4.5 %) the lowest rates.

The EU has set to reach 20 % share of energy consumption from renewable energy sources by 2020. Greece has to raise its share to 18 % by 2020.

The Greek Environment Ministry announced the project Eastern Mediterranean Pipeline by launching a study to check the feasibility of building a pipeline that will transport natural gas from deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus and Israel) through Crete and mainland Greece to the rest of Europe. The project is realized in collaboration with Cyprus and has been identified as a common interest project by the European Commission.

Greek News Agenda: Solar Power: Going Up!; Greece & Germany Join Forces for RES

Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) and the Ports Union of Greece (ELIME) participate in Cruise Shipping Miami 2014, the largest international cruise trade fair in the world, held in Florida from March 10-13.

Approximately 1,000 exhibitors from 127 countries are participating in the exhibition, which is expected to be visited by over 11,000 people, company officials and representatives from the tourism and the cruise industry.

The OLP, according to its 2010-2015 investment programme, is proceeding with an extension of the southern section of the passenger cruise port, a project that is being funded by the EU in 95% of its total expenditure. The project is expected to make the port of Piraeus the Mediterranean's most important cruise hub.

Kostas Filippidis has been crowned new pole vault world champion at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championship that is taking place in Sopot, Poland. The 28-year-old athlete  made it to the final with no failures and cleared a winning height of 5.80m, securing the world indoor title with a season’s best.


Filippidis was fourth at both the 2003 World Youth and 2004 World Junior Championships and has competed at three World Championships and three World Indoor Championships with his best placing, fourth, at the 2010 World Indoors.